Five Ways To: Eat More Fruit

Life speeds up after Labor Day, and suddenly we will be a lot busier. But we don't want to lose the habits of eating so much fresh summer food, especially fruits and vegetables. Here's a few tips for making it easy to take fresh fruit to the office or to school.

1. Stock up on melon - There are still some late-season melons around. We like to peel and cut up cantaloupe and other melons into bite-sized pieces and refrigerate. Easy convenience food, and so sweet.

2. Slice an apple - Fresh autumn apples should be flooding the farmers market. This humble fruit is so good when it's fresh and local! Try slicing a chilled juicy apple as thin as possible using a mandoline; the crisp, translucent slices are addictively good.

3. Cut up grapes - Use scissors to snip the woody stems of large grape clusters into a dozen smaller bunches that can be grabbed out of a bowl for lunch or breakfast.

4. Look for clementines - Clementines are the ultimate snack food. They have their own natural shrink-wrapping, easy to remove, and they stay sweet and juicy even on long car trips or commutes. They come in season in October and get sweeter as the season goes on.

5. Try something new - Look for new things to add variety. We tried those golden kiwis for the first time last year and were hooked. A kiwi and a spoon went into our lunch every day. Try buying a ripe mango or papaya and cutting it up for lunch.